ISA Salamanca was a great experience! Past Review
By Sheila D (Human Services, General., Western Washington University) for
ISA Study Abroad in Salamanca, Spain
My study abroad experience was awesome! In the future though, I would pick a location that has more nature, as Salamanca was a very city-oriented place.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The workload was good, wasn't too hard but helped me learn more Spanish. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The staff at ISA was amazing! |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The site for my host family placement was great - really close to campus and close to downtown. There was only my host mother in the house though, as all of her children were grown up and she was never at home. It felt more like a boarding house type situation, as I barely spoke to my host mother. I wished that we had more interaction with the host mother. Everything else was great though. |
| * Food: |
Food overall was okay, although my host mother did not make as many traditional dishes as I would have liked. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The Spanish cooking class was really fun! |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Salamanca was a very safe city - I felt safe even at nighttime. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
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Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
Make sure to do the intercambio! In addition to classes, the intercambio with an actual Spanish speaker helped my Spanish improve a lot. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Salamanca was the best place to learn Spanish in Spain - a very pure form of Spanish and an excellent city for students. The more interaction with the locals, the better! Make sure to do the intercambio and meet as many locals as possible. Don't just stick to the group that you came with - branch out! This is a great place and program if you like cities and historical buildings! Also, make sure to get a cell phone!!! It is crucial to have some sort of communication for the other students you meet. |
